Nature's Calendar: The British Year in 72 Seasons

by Kiera Chapman, Rowan V. Jaines, Lulah Ellender

Inspired by a traditional Japanese calendar which divides the year into segments of four to five days, this book guides you through a year of 72 seasons as they manifest in the British Isles. From ‘Snowdrops emerge’ in the first days of January to ‘Tree skeletons and sky’ at the close of the year, each fleeting season is epitomized by some natural phenomenon, be it a plant coming into bud, a burst of birdsong, or a cobweb spangled by dew. Drawing on folklore and tradition, herbal medicine and natural history, this is a book to give, to treasure, to dip into, and to inspire your own regular acts of noticing nature as it flourishes and fades and rises again, through the seasons.

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction, Natural History, Reference, Animals

382 pages, Hardcover

First published November 28, 2023

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

What?! Another book translating the Japanese notion of 72 microseasons to the British experience?! Yes! This one is a lovely thing, a collaboration by four women, four women who made use of what is good about Twitter: over the course of a year as the Noticing Nature project, as they invited people to offer what they had been noticing in a particular microseason and then made a selection which they offered up for a vote... and have now turned into a beautiful book, delicately illustrated by one of them. Each microseason (not I have to say always as poetically or engagingly named as the Japanese do or Parikian does in his book) has its own essay which may include science, history, folklore, culture of all kinds: visual art, literature by one of the team. Perhaps what I most enjoyed were the exercises in noticing provided for each month.

The whole thing makes a delightful companion: gentle, ungushing and enriching.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that really demands slow reading in order to reflect the bucolic nature of its contents, a study of Britain's landscape in 72 'micro-seasons' as climate and environment change and flora and fauna adapt to survive. I started in January and - though I should have kept ambling through it until new year's eve - sped up towards the end because I have a Reading Challenge to meet!
With each of its 72 chapters divided between a knowledgeable team of experts, this fascinating book focuses on a wide range of aspects from botanical and zoological insights to myths and legends, history, medicine and the arts. It contains some eye-opening facts and refreshes ones jaded fascination for the mysterious interactions between distinctly different species of animal and plant. A perfect book for those 'slow readers' among us!

[Helen Hagon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little treasure of a book is meant to be read over the course of a year, which is what I did. It breaks the year up into ‘microseasons’ of five or six days each, and zooms in on a particular phenomenon of nature for each one. All kinds of flora, fauna and weather take turns to enter the spotlight, the various authors combining their expertise to provide a selection of interesting information and reflections. They draw on a wide range of sources, from science to folklore, to draw the reader’s attention to everyday occurrences which we may otherwise not notice as we go about our busy lives, or to give new insight into aspects of nature that are already familiar to us.

‘Nature’s Calendar’ has been my coffee break companion for the last year, and it has added interest and excitement to even the most mundane outdoor moments. As well as the description to accompany each microseason, the ‘noticing exercises’ at the beginning of each month are an additional prompt to reawaken the senses and increase our awareness of the world around us. The underground life of ferns, the peculiar pattern of shortening and lengthening days, and the mysteries surrounding the migration of birds, were among some of the chapters I found the most fascinating.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who lives in Britain and would like to gently broaden their understanding of our relationship with the natural world, in bite-sized chunks. It might also be of interest to readers in other countries who have an interest in Britain and its natural history.

[Mildred · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilled to finally mark this one as read. Since the beginning of this year I've been slowly making my way through it, one microseason at a time, reading a few pages every 4-5 days.

This is a gorgeous book, a collaborative project that started with a call out on twitter for people to notice the natural world around them at different times of the year.

The result is a series of 72 very short essays, each allotted to 72 identified microseasons. They point out what is happening in nature during those few days of the year, whether it's spring flowers bursting through the frost, unfurling ferns, longer and lighter evenings because of the way the earth is turned on its axis, songbirds in their mating seasons, or the parasitic nature of mistletoe.

Each month begins with a noticing exercise to set you up for observing the world around you and reconnecting with nature, and I can confirm that this year I was so much more mindful of what was going on around me at all times.

I honestly love this book, I bought a copy for a friend for Christmas, and I think everyone who enjoys being outdoors or who had even the smallest passing interest in the natural world or mindfulness should have a copy.

I will definitely be dipping back in next year.

[Susan Mansfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

I particularly liked this book because unlike others of a similar nature, it's unlikely you'll get behind. This heightens the delight at picking it up - having a portion to read every 3-4 days or so is very grounding and perhaps more enjoyable than having a reading every day which you invariably get behind on.
I learned some fascinating things about nature in my country. The artwork throughout is lovely. It does get a little bit soap-boxy here and there, but other than that, quite an interesting and enjoyable book.

[Pam Keevil · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I will return to over and over again. In fact it's perfect to pick up every few days and check what can be observed in the environment from snowdrops to swifts, Hawthorne, to robins and more. It's well researched blending natural history, science, folklore and history (who would have thought May Day no longer coincides with the may blossom because of the calendar change in the 18th century.

[Ginni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes - I did take a year to read this book - because that’s how it’s supposed to be read. An excellent mixture of very interesting and well explained science, some folklore and history, and a real emphasis on observation and what we now seem to be encouraged to call ‘mindfulness.’. As a mindful but forgetful older reader, I shall probably just start over in January with this book.

[Israel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wholesome bedtime reading. Lovely to reconnect with the world of nature and what is happening at different times of year! I will continue to read for years to come

[Ross Mountney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book I've read season by season throughout the year, that has both inspired, informed and comforted like a walk in nature!